Two certificates from one wedding
NSW draws the line plainly: the official marriage certificate is different from the ceremonial certificate you take home on the day, and it is the official one that proves you are married. The celebrant sends the documents that register the marriage, and in NSW a celebrant has up to 14 days to do so. The registry adds that the quickest way to receive the certificate is for the celebrant to register the marriage online.
Once a marriage is registered, NSW accepts an application from:
- “a person applying for their own marriage certificate”
- “a child of the marriage, if both individuals named in the marriage are deceased”
- “a marriage celebrant applying through eRegistry, at the time of registering a marriage”
- “an authorised representative of either person named in the marriage”, which may include next of kin, a person with power of attorney or a solicitor.
Victoria issues certificates only for marriages that took place in Victoria, and anyone can get a historical marriage certificate from more than 60 years ago. Tasmania lists, besides the couple: a child of the couple, the executor, administrator or trustee of an estate, and a person with written authority or power of attorney, each with evidence. Its marriage and relationship records are open to anyone after 75 years.
Taking a spouse’s surname
The ACT puts it simply: “In Australia, there is no expectation or requirement to change your surname when you get married.” It calls the decision a personal choice. For people who do, where the marriage happened matters most.
| Registry | Married in Australia | Married overseas |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | No fee for an official change of name is needed; most government departments accept the official marriage certificate, from the registry where you married. Ceremonial and commemorative certificates are not accepted. | You will have to apply for an official change of name. |
| Victoria | No change of name application is needed: give organisations a copy of the Australian marriage certificate. | The change of name page links a separate Victorian guide to names after marriage, separation or divorce. |
| Queensland | You can take your partner’s family name, or both partners can hyphenate their names, without applying to the registry. | You may not be able to take your partner’s name automatically, because some organisations do not accept overseas documents; some may want an official change of name document. |
| South Australia | Give the relevant authority, such as the Australian Passport Office, a copy of the official marriage certificate. | Ask the authority or business, such as a bank or the Passport Office, what evidence it needs. |
| Australian Capital Territory | You typically do not need to register a change of name; the standard marriage certificate generally supports the change on documents such as driver licences and passports. | A foreign marriage certificate may be hard to use, and you may be asked to register a change of name. |
NSW also covers going back to a previous surname. If you changed it using an Australian marriage certificate, a proof of divorce can usually change other identification back; if you have no Australian marriage certificate and changed your name by registration, you may need to register another change.
Registering a change of name
For any other change, or when a marriage certificate will not do, the change is registered with a registry. Each one decides who may apply there, and most limit how often a name can change.
| Registry | Who applies there | How often |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Adults born or adopted in NSW, and adults born overseas who have lived in NSW for the 3 consecutive years before applying. Anyone born elsewhere in Australia applies in that state or territory. | Once in 12 months and 3 times in a lifetime, with a fourth allowed only in select cases, such as evidence of risk of harm from domestic violence. |
| Victoria | People born in Victoria or overseas; anyone born interstate applies to that registry. | Once in 12 months and 3 times in a lifetime. |
| Western Australia | WA lists its conditions in this order: aged 18 or over; born in WA or birth registered there (anyone registered in another state applies there); born overseas, a citizen or permanent resident and living in WA continuously for the 12 months before applying; living in WA continuously for those 12 months; no registered change in WA or another state or territory in the previous 12 months; not 3 registered changes since turning 18; and, for a Required Declarant, approval from a Supervisory Authority. | Set within WA’s conditions: no registered change in the previous 12 months, and not 3 since turning 18. |
| South Australia | People born in South Australia, and people born overseas who are citizens or permanent residents and have lived in SA for at least the last 12 months. Serious sex offenders, serious violent offenders, prisoners and parolees need permission from the relevant authorities. | One change every 12 months, and 3 in a lifetime. |
| Northern Territory | See the Territory’s change of name page. | Once every 12 months. |
| Australian Capital Territory | People born in the ACT. People born elsewhere may apply if they live in the ACT, including residents born overseas; those born in another state or territory can also apply there. | One registered change in a 12-month period. |
Queensland and Tasmania set out their own rules on their name changes pages and change of name registration page. The application asks for more than a form: in NSW, for example, adults also give a reason for the change, declare certain criminal convictions and consent to a National Police Check.
What changes on the record, and what does not
A registered change shows up on the birth certificate. NSW lets you choose between two versions: one showing the new name with a note listing former names, or one that leaves the new name off and notes only that a change was registered, with its registration number. In the ACT, a birth certificate issued after a change includes former name details, which can be removed in some circumstances to protect privacy.
Two details from NSW are easy to miss. New certificates are posted in your former name, so you may need identification in that name to collect the registered mail. And an existing marriage certificate does not change: a name is recorded as it was at the time of the marriage, though a note with the new name can be added and a new certificate bought.